Mason&#39;s line anchor



' Sept- 1950 J. A. EDIXON I 2,523,101

mason-s LINE ANCHOR Filed July 28, 1947 9 INVENTOR. Jafifl H L d/x017 BY 7 MW QM ZJ/ HTTOR/VEY Patented Sept. 1 9, 1950 1 ,omTED-Y TATE s {PATENT OFFICE I MASONS IJN ANcHoR John A. Edison, Ashtabula, Ohio Application July 28, 1947, Serial No. 764,052

This invention relates to devices for supporting "amaso'ns gageline orcourse line, while laying "upwalls. i

In laying upfla 'wall of concrete blocks, the masonstretches a cord or line for successive courses orllayers, as a guide for positioningthe blocks, '50 thatthe layers will iallbe parallel straight and horizontal andin vertical 'aligmnent. He does the same withbricks hollow tile,etc.

The courseline is usually located directly above the edgeof the last course laid and parallel with Usually the mason lays a pair of blocks at the opposite ends of the course to be laid, and con- *trives a way to attachtheopposite} ends of the linejtothese blocks, by ,nails, strips of wood or thelike. M Such 'contrivances are troublesome to manipulate, are not stable'and secure, are diflicult to.

i adjust to accurately position the line, 1 and are liable to come loose or shift.- H H Mechanical clamp devices have been proposed whichgrip the end blocks with the line attached a to the devices; but so far as I am aware, such devices have clamping jaws that grip theoppo- 2 Claims. (01. 33-85) site sides of the blocktherebetween and vari- ,;;o uslyi.comprise movable parts to make them adjustable to different over-all thicknesses of the blocks, bricks, tiles, etc, and are in fact mechanisms; and are expensive and troublesome to 1 mount and adjust; and cumbersome to carry around; v 7 Concrete blocks are hollow or :have openings therethrough; the same is true of hollow tile; and bricks having holes throughthem are coming ,into more and more general use. ,Such holes or openings make of the block,- etc., astructure having a relatively thin side wall.

- V The present invention is based on this fact.

In View of the foregoing, the object of the in- ;vention is to provide a simple device of the class vreferred'to,,which,,without moving parts, will {grip the aforesaid sidewall of a concrete block,

brick;"tile,-etc,, and. which is adapted to .-variationsin thickness of said wall; and'having a lmeans forattaching a cord ordine thereto which ,will dispose the cord in the correct indicating or leasing ,position when the device is in place, ,wher ebyadjustments andmovable parts areobviated; and whichdevice will be so simple in its 'jfunctioni'nglthat. it can comprise but) a single piece or part; and be so small'and compact in.

'sizethat it can'becarr'ied in the masons pocket;

and be producedlat small cost.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following description; taken in 1 connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

' Figi l is a front viewa-nd Fig." 2 is'a top view Fig. 5 is a top plan view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the adaptation of the device to hollow tile; 1

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but to reduced scale illustrating a modification.

Referring to'the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2, the device shown generally t A comprises an upper main body I from which depend three legs 2, 3, and 4, providing spaces 5 and 6 therebetween,

and lower edges 1 and 8 on the body. The inner confronting edges 9 and In of the legs 2 and 3 are preferably but not necessarily parallel and rectilinear; as are also the edges H and I2 of the legs 34.

The corners where the 'legs join the body are relieved, as at l3, for clearance to be referred to.

In vertical alignment with the edges l0 and l are holes l4-| 5 in the body and other holes may be provided as indicated at Hi.

The device is all of one piece as shown and may be an aluminum casting, or a, thick sheet metal stamping, or may be made from any other suitable material, for example a synthetic resin plastic.

In. operation. of the device, and as shown in Fig.7 3', the mason, preparatory to laying a course of concrete blocks on the last course laid shown at ||--|1,'lays a pair of blocks 18 and I9, at the ends of the course |'l-|'l, putting them in correct. position. v i

The usual holes 20- -20 in the blocks provide relative thick walls at 2 l2 I. In such case, a line or cord 22 is threaded through the middle hole M ,of one of the devices and secured by a knot 23 of an embodiment of the invention; andin the originalgdrawlrl islifesize;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the de- .vice in use with concrete blocks or bricks; jFig. lis a view to enlarged Qcale takenfrom g the plane 5-4 of Fig. 3;,

or otherwise; and the two legs 2 and 3 are straddled over the wall 2| at the block l8 until the body edge! rests on the wall 2 I.

Another one of the devices A is similarly mounted on the other block l9, with the cord 22 running through the hole 14' thereof; and the cord is then drawn taut, and the free end drawn taut through one of the other two unused holes, |5'

or IE, for example the hole l6 as illustrated in Fig. 3; orthrough both of them successively; and this will secure it. 7

When the cord 22 is taut, the two devices A will be drawn toward each other; and each of them,

may rock somewhat on the top of the wall 2| to bring the leg 2 into gripping engagement with the inner surface of the wall 2| and the leg 3 into engagement with the outer face 24 of the block. 'I'hisrocking is illustrated in Fig. 5, where the device A is shown somewhat out of the horizontal.

However, as shown in Fig. 5 and indicated in Fig 4, since the cord positioning hole- I4 is in alignment with the leg edge l0, the cord 22*will be brought directly over the face 2-4 of the block whether the amount of rocking is small (solid lines'in Fig. 5) or whether it is great (broken lines in Fig; 5) l By these provisions, the space 5 between the legs 2-3 can be made great enough for the legs to straddle the wall 2| of the block when it is,

of maximum thickness in one lot of blocks; and they will then likewise straddle thinner walls of other lots of blocks; and in every case the cord 22 will be lined up with the face 24 of the block;

The relief at l3-l3 on the device as will now i be apparent allows the device to move down until the body edge '1 rests on top of the block and al= shows that they are out of horizontal, this can be corrected by raising one end or the other of the line by raising one of the devices, since the legs 2-3 will grip the block Wall 2! therebetween whether they are pushed all the Way down or notydue to the tension in the line 22; and in Fig. 4. the device A is indicated by broken lines at one such elevated position.

The legs 23 and space will fit and grip a range of block Walls 21 of relativel great thickness as described.

The legs 34 and space 6 are 'providedto similarly grip walls of arange of less thickness for eXal nple the relatively thin walls of hollow tile as shown for the wan '25 'of a hollow tile 26 in Fig. 6; Q I

i In the use of the device With such thin walls, the hole l5, aligned with the edge ll of the leg 3,

would be the one used to position the cord 22, as

described hereinbefore.

Hollow bricks or bricks With holes in them will have walls of a thickness within theone or the other of the ranges above referred to, and'therefore'the device may be used for bricks With either pair of legs-2+3 or 3- l as occasion indicates.

Instead of knotting the device at one end as indicated at 2 3, that end also may be secured by running it through any or both of the holes not being used; so that if preferred the line not 'be 'knott e'd at'any time.

As a further convenience of the device, when it is out of use, the cord may be wrapped around the body I and the free ends put through a pair of the holes l4 l5+- l '6 to keep it from unwinding.

While the device of Figs. 1 and 2 will-take care of the whole range of thicknesses of'wall encountered in different cases as described,- the invention isnot limited to a device having only two wall straddling spaces 5gand 6 but may have 3 7 more if desired 'atsomewhat greater co st.

In Fig. '7 is shown a modification to this end, as indicating the scope'of the invention.

The body 27 has four legs '2'8-: 29 3fi3| providing three successively narrower spaces 32' 33-3-4. Holes 35 36'3T--38 3 9'40 are provided in the bodyfali'g'ned respectively with'the edges of the legs 28 to 31. When the spa'ce 32 is "used, either the leg 28 or the leg 29 could be put in the hole and, correspondingly, the cord put in either the hole 36 or 35. When thefspa'ce 33 is used, "either the leg-"29 or the leg3 0'could be put in the hole, and correspondingly, the cord could be put in the hole 38 or the hole 37. when the space St-is used, either the leg 30 or the leg 3| could be'put in the "hole, and, correspondingly, thec'ord could be put inthe hole lit or the hole 39.

While I have 'illustrated and described the preferred form of the invention, the invention is not limited thereto.

leg edges, substantially the same positioning and gripping action will be performed by the device if the side edges of the legs have the contour indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1, at 9A to [2A and if the edges 1 and 8 provide a shoulder or shoulders asat 1A and 8A.

Other changes and modifications may be made and the invention comprises all of the same that come within the scope of the appended, claims.

I claim:

1. A masons line anchor comprising'a duplicate pair of devices and a line, each device comprising a plate-like portion generally of U-shape having a body and two elongated legs depending from the body when in th'e'position of use, and the legs having mutually confronting parallel gripping faces; the legs being so spaced apart that the gripping facesmay straddle and substantially fit andgrip vertical spaced apart surface portions of 'a masonry. block and cause the body to rest upon and be supported above the block; the body being provided with a plurality of spaced perforations therethrough, one of which is aligned with a said vertical surface of the block and disposed above the top of the block, when the body is supported on the block as aforesaid; the devices adapted to be thus mounted in spaced relation on spaced blocks in a course of blocks to be laid, the line beingthreaded through the aligned perforations of both devices and secured to one device and at the other device threaded through the other perforation thereof, and gripped by the joint gripping action of the two perforations on the line; the line being tensionable by drawing it farther through the two perforations of the said other device.

2. A device for use in duplicate in a m'asons line anchor of the type, comprising two spaced apart line holders and a line tensioned between them;

the device comprising: a plate-like portion generally of 'U '-shape having a body and two elongated legs depending from the body when in the position of use, and the legs having mutually confronting parallel gripping faces; the legs being 'so spaced apart that the --gripping'faces may said; the two alignedperforations of duplicates of the device when they are-mounted on spaced blocksfof acour'se to be laid, beingsizedto have a masons gc'ourse line threaded through both of them and secured at one end to one device and at th e other end threaded through the other perforation of the-other device, to cause the line to be 'grippe'd' on the other deviceby the joint gripping Changes and modifications,

thereinmay be made. For example, while it is preferred to have the leg edges 9-lil and l l-l2 fpa-rallel rectilinear edges; and to have the edges 1 and 8 continuous all the way between the said action of the two perforations; theline being tensionable b manually drawingit farther through the two said perforations of the other device.

. JOHN A. EDIXON.

meanness CITED The following references are of record in the .-file of this patent! UNITED S'I-A TE S PATENTS Number, Name Date 42,090 Lanergan Mar.'29,- 1'864 1,860,174 Crank May '24, '1932 2,215,663 Frisk SeptJ24, 1940 

